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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffDoctors generally use medications that reduce your blood's tendency to clot, such as low-dose aspirin, to treat antiphospholipid syndrome.
If you have thrombosis, standard initial treatment initially involves a combination of heparin and warfarin. Your doctor will discontinue the heparin after the initial treatment and continue the warfarin, possibly for the rest of your life. Your doctor may also recommend adding low-dose aspirin.
Treatment during pregnancy
Anticoagulation therapy is particularly complex during pregnancy. The therapy is expensive, requires regular injections and carries some significant risks of side effects.
- Heparin. This anticoagulant medication works more quickly than warfarin, but, until recently, it had to be administered through a vein and monitored closely. Some forms of heparin — enoxaparin (Lovenox) and dalteparin (Fragmin) — are known as low molecular weight heparin, which you can inject yourself. Heparin is considered safe to take during pregnancy.
- Warfarin (Coumadin). This anticoagulant comes in pill form, so it's easier to take than heparin is. Rarely, warfarin can cause birth defects, so it isn't usually recommended during pregnancy. Rarely, a doctor may prescribe warfarin during pregnancy, but only if the benefits of using it outweigh the risks.
Though anticoagulation therapy during pregnancy may be complicated, the good news is that it usually prevents antiphospholipid syndrome-related miscarriages.
If you're taking anticoagulant medication, your doctor will monitor your dosage with blood tests to be sure your blood is capable of clotting enough to stop your bleeding if you bruise or cut yourself.
- Ahmed K, et al. Postpartum spontaneous colonic perforation due to antiphospholipid syndrome. World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2009;15:502.
- Antiphospholipid syndrome information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/antiphosphlipid/antiphospholipid.htm. Accessed Jan. 21, 2009.
- Learning about antiphospholipid syndrome. National Human Genome Research Institute. http://www.genome.gov/pfv.cfm?pageID=17516396. Accessed Jan. 21, 2009.
- Antiphospholipid syndrome. Washington, D.C.: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. 2008 Compendium of Selected Publications. 2008.
- Pruthi RK (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 5, 2009.
- Bermas BL, et al. Diagnosis of the antiphospholipid syndrome. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 5, 2009.
